“A violent robbery involving an 8-year-old boy had some people shaking their heads and a Minneapolis man leaping to action,” Reg Chapman reports for WCCO-TV. “Last Thursday, a boy was punched and the iPad in his hands was stolen outside a Minneapolis restaurant.”
“Aaron Stillday, 32, was arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated robbery. Police caught him after a good Samaritan chased him down,” Chapman reports. “‘Poor kid,’ said Mohammad Armeli, the man who chased down the robber. ‘I can’t believe it, the blood was all over his face. Could have broken his nose.’ Surveillance video shows the 8-year-old following his aunt out of a day care building. What happened next left Armeli’s blood boiling. ‘This is the scum of the earth,’ he said. ‘You cannot hit a child like that. Don’t hit him for his iPad, or for anything.'”
“Armeli, who works at a Greek restaurant nearby, heard the commotion and went after the robber. While talking to 911 on his cell phone, he chased Stillday for more than a half-mile,” Chapman reports. “Police say they’ve seen Stillday before. ‘As I was told, he’s been arrested 60 times,’ Armeli said. ‘I can’t believe they let him out.'”
MacDailyNews Note: After seeing the shattered iPad and surveillance video of the crime, Apple Store Uptown gave the boy a replacement iPad.
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: There’s no way we could be cops. This scumbag would have “resisted arrest” or “gone for a gun” at least 50 arrests ago.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Predrag” for the heads up.]
Guess we can’t claim be be ‘nice’ anymore here in Minnesota.
“Stillday” will become synonymous with “I’ve been ass-raped multiple times today” once he starts doing time.
I say put him in a cell with a 400 lb. guy named Bubba who likes guys. Have fun with your new toy Bubba. Don’t hold anything back.
Now he’s got a new “I pad”
good for him. damn, i am impressed, both by his initiative and his ability to chase down the perp for more than half a mile, while calling cops on his cell phone. that is some serious multi-tasking
now, let us hope that that 60 time p.o.s. – or his buddies, don’t come looking for the good samaritan and settle his hash for doing the right thing,
and good for mr. apple for replacing the ruined ipad.
I hope that people find out and start going to eat there. Good job!
For those of you from the Twin cities, the restaurant is called Christo’s and is at 2632 Nicollet Ave S. If you’re in the neighbourhood, show them some respect, get yourself a lunch or dinner there (I’m in New York, never been to Minneapolis, but if I ever visit, I’ll make sure to look him up).
Four star review, in the best sense of the phrase, from the point of view of someone wanting to make an actual difference.
People like Aaron Stillday don’t deserve to be in society. Send him down, and never let him out.
Ummm. Aren’t you blowing his out of proportion? Robbery happens and while I wish it weren’t so, throwing someone under the prison isn’t helping matters either.
And I wouldn’t start saying who should and shouldn’t be in society. Really dangerous precedent there.
You might have an argument if this were somewhere under say… 10 times the guy had been arrested. But seriously, 60+ times, averaging 3+ times a year since he was ten, says he is not an individual well adapted to being a part of society. Yes, robbery happens, but that doesn’t excuse it. At some point he needs to suffer the consequences of not being a very good person.
It depends on your beliefs with respect to the purpose of imprisonment of criminal offenders.
Is the purpose to deter people from committing a crime in the first place? If so, the U.S. legal system is not working for Aaron Stillday.
Is the purpose rehabilitation to reduce recurring crime? If so, the U.S. legal system is not working for Aaron Stillday.
Is the purpose punishment? If so, what is the punishment intended to achieve? Is it just to make the rest of us feel better? Or is it supposed to make the convicted criminal regret getting caught enough to act as a deterrent for committing crimes after being released? Once again, the U.S. legal system does not seem to be working for Aaron Stillday.
Is the purpose to protect society from repeat offenders who show no inclination of changing their ways, or who are fundamentally incapable of changing? If so, there are some crimes (e.g., child molestation) or quantities of recidivism for which life imprisonment may be the only logical solution to protect society from chronic predation. The alternative is likely a long string of additional crimes until they are finally caught again.
I have wrestled with the structure of the U.S. legal system and the objectives of imprisonment since I was young. The “system” can only do so much. I believe that the key to improvement is engaging our youth during their formative years. Early guidance and correction for our youth is vastly preferable to dealing with juvenile and adult crime and rehabilitation/imprisonment. This is not a blanket “cure” that will eliminate criminal activities in this country. There are far too many reasons/motivations for committing crimes. But I believe that it would help substantially.
Rehab would be nice but I would settle for just keeping him off the street for an extended period of time.
i agree with the objective of getting Stillday off of the streets – but for how long?
The question in my mind is whether he is capable of being “scared straight.” If this guy is going to continue in his criminal ways when released, then the “protect society” rationale would favor keeping him imprisoned. Logically, it would be foolish to let him free if he continues to be a threat to society. Obviously, the type of crime must be taken into account. Locking someone up indefinitely is not a step to be taken lightly.
If the rationale is “punishment,” then go ahead and let Stillday loose after he has “done his time.” Perhaps a dose of incarceration will incentivize him to change his ways. If not, then he will likely be caught again later (after who knows how many additional criminal acts), prosecuted, and punished yet again.
Ideally, we will find a way to effectively rehabilitate the vast majority of criminals. I don’t believe that the existing penitentiary system in the U.S. is all that effective at doing so, and it represents a tremendous drain on society as a whole.
How long? Well that depends if the convict actually will serve the entire sentence.
I also don’t think keeping them in one central location is a good idea. Mixing them with other criminals is a bad idea. So either they need isolation or a smaller facility far away from their home.
You are welcome to try and rehab them but the goal should be to remove them from the situation where they feel they have to hurt others.
The more they repeat the crime the longer the time out.
It isn’t an ideal world, my friend. This guy has had multiple chances to figure out how to successfully fit into society. Obviously, the lesson doesn’t stick with some people, and our obligation as a society should be to the victims more than the perps. Keep him off the streets permanently, one way or the other, and it looks like the only way is if some citizen takes care of it next time. There comes a point when there is no rehabilitation worth our time or money.
In other news, an 8 year old in another city did not have his Galaxy Tab 3 stolen but was pushed down by bullies because he had poor ill-educated amoral parents. Samsung was willing to sell him another in a BOGO free promotion.
Noone would’ve robbed the kid if he had a Galaxy…
/S
When I read hews like this, I thank my fortune that I live in New York City and not some crime-ridden place. Last year, NYC scored the lowest crime rate since they’ve been keeping records (and on the subject at hand, robbery, in Minneapolis, there were almost twice as many of them last year as in NYC, which has twenty times the population!).
Hey, I watch Law and Order so I know the truth.
not when it comes to apple products
That is so true… “Apple picking” has become the most popular sport of the troubled youth in NYC, so much so that it even produced an uptick in crime rate for that particular type of crime. This is why NY police commissioner, among others, strongly advocates for “kill switch” functionality to brick the the stolen phone remotely.
There was a reason they came up with “three strikes” laws. But it got muddied over abuses to pot smokers.
In Ukraine, they are talking about passing a law, allowing every single citizen to carry a gun. As this seems like counter productive, it makes criminals very leery to test anyone’s will to use force. Also, it gives government second thought to oppress it’s citizens.
Yeah, that’s gonna work. Gives the criminal an excuse to shoot first “in self defense” and then rob the guy.
Smart. Real smart.
I am not advocating any particular decision however in US communities which have deployed this tactic, crime has come to a stand still. So I understand where you are coming from, but it is essentially not true or proven, unless we talk about the Wild West. In that situation, shoot first, steel later happens regardless of someone being armed or not. The value of an armed citizen is far greater than defeating crime. It provides for a stable society. Think of Switzerland where, as I understand it, everyone has a weapon. But I have an open mind. Weapon control isn’t working though. Criminals do not follow the law and will have a gun, and law abiding citizens do not. The winner is perfectly clear.
Newsflash James, criminals do that already! Although I doubt a criminal is going to stick around to tell cops, “yeah, shot him in self defense’.
James, how many mass murder shooting have their been at gun stores or gun shooting ranges, as opposed to, I don’t know, a school, where the brilliant politicians pass law banning guns and put up an aluminum sign saying “No Guns 100 Feet Near School”???
Smart. Real smart.
Anyone out there still unclear why some places have “THREE STRIKE” laws on the books?
I’m pretty sure the Three Strikes thing is for three felonies. This may or may not be a felony. I’m not sure, but hopefully it is.
Regardless, I’m shocked a person can be arrested 60 times. Someone needs to call Guinness Book. Even misdemeanors start to get serious after repeated attempts – like four or five times and you’re going to do some time. 60??? WTF?
That’s so many slaps on the wrist that I’m surprised he can still use his hands.
Hold on a second, it only says he’s been arrested 60. He may still be waiting to go to trial for his first arrest. Remember this happens in the United Hates. They have a warped sense of justice there.
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve scum of the earth.
First-degree aggravated robbery, huh? That’s bound to get him some jail time. Hope his cell buddies like the story of how he assaulted an 8-year-old.
——RM
Love MDN’s comment. I support it 100%!
“After seeing the shattered iPad and surveillance video of the crime, Apple Store Uptown gave the boy a replacement iPad.”
That’s awesome and I hope that punk stays in jail permanently!
great job by everyone except the robbere
Diversity is our greatest strength! This Mexican was just here to build a better life for himself. Beating a helpless child is just a vibrant expression of his rich cultural heritage. It takes all kinds to weave the rich tapestry of diversity we call Amerikka. Let him go for the sixty-first time, and let him continue enriching us with his diversity. Oh, and make sure he gets to vote, too.